My Greystones: Aine Gammell

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s the old saying goes, if you’re going to dream, dream big…

Even if you are just about small enough to fit inside your average shoe box.

There’s something positively disarming about Aine Gammell, a teenager with the drive, ambition and focus of, well, someone old and wise. But full of energy. Like the Dalai Lama after five espressos.

It would be hard to tell by looking at Aine, but she’s a member of the Bray Rowing Club. For over a year. Despite the fact that the average oar is twice her weight. And triple her height.

But that’s the kind of girl Aine Gammell is. Mountains were made to be climbed, boats were made to be rowed, and Greystones was built to be devoured, on a daily basis.

A pupil at the mighty Coláiste Chroabh Abhann over in sunny Kilcoole, Aine is not so much a high-achiever as an over-achiever. Also a member of the Greystones Toastmasters, this 16-year-old recently performed her self-composed Us speech in front of 200 people in Dublin. Confidence doesn’t seem to be much of a problem with Aine, as she also read the Proclamation at the recent Kilcoole Remembers 1916 festival in front of her fellow townsfolk.

And, as we all know, performing in front of your fellow townsfolk is about as tough an audience as you’re going to get.

I blame that dang school, encouraging kids not only to stand on their own two feet but to take giant leap forwards too through such skulduggery as setting up award-winning Pop-Up Shops (for which Aine was manager, of course) and Oscar-themed TY exhibitions (for which, hey, Aine was MC). Add to that one of those Presidential Gaicse awards for hiking the hell out of Lough Dan, doing fundraising work for Pieta House and The Gavin Glynn Foundation (the late SuperGav was Aine’s cousin), and just five minutes in this young girl’s company is enough to make you feel like a complete and utter lazy slob who really should just go back to bed.

Once you’re over that initial shock to the system though, Aine is undoubtedly an inspiration, and someone her parents, Anthony and Kate can be very proud of, and siblings Padraig and Jade can be very jealous of.

Our only real concern here is that Aine might one day start up a local website…